Dog-Related Issues

Public Space Protection Order

A Public Space Protection Order PSPO entered into force on 20 October 2017 to help manage irresponsible dog ownership across the district. The PSPO replaces the Dog Control Orders that were previously in place. You will be committing an offence if you:

fail to remove dog faeces (poo)

do not keep a dog on a lead in certain areas

do not put and keep a dog on a lead when told to do so by an authorised officer

allow a dog to enter land where dogs are excluded and

are not carrying a suitable bag (or similar) for picking up and disposing of dog faeces and be able to show this if requested by an authorised officer.

Offenders may be issued with a fixed penalty notice of £100 or a fine of up to £1,000 if prosecuted under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

Dog exclusion zones

Dog exclusion zones are areas where dogs are not allowed. They include all fenced-in children's play areas and also apply to some other green spaces.

An authorised officer of Huntingdonshire District Council can direct a person in charge of a dog to put it on a lead and keep it on the lead. This applies across the whole of Huntingdonshire.

Dog fouling

Clearing up dog fouling applies to:

all road carriageways with a speed limit of 40mph or less and adjoining footpaths and verges

any other footpath and adjoining verges

parks, playing fields, playgrounds, open spaces, village greens, car parks and the grounds of village halls which are maintained by or on behalf of Cambridgeshire County Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and any town or parish council within Huntingdonshire

burial grounds

land which has a school on it and is used for the education of children

Found a stray dog?

Our officers are authorised to seize and hold any dog believed to be a stray.

If you find a stray dog during our normal office hours (Monday-Thursday 9am-5pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm), please call us on 01480 388302 and we will arrange for an officer to come and collect the dog. Alternatively, if you are able, you can take the dog to Wood Green, the Animals' Charity.

If you find a stray dog outside our normal office hours you can:

call Wood Green, the Animals' Charity, on 0300 303 9333 (8.30am-4.30pm Saturday and Sunday) or 07775 847 752 (out of hours for Huntingdonshire only) to make arrangements to take the dog to them

keep the dog overnight and contact us on the next working day.

If you are the owner of a stray dog that has been held, you will have to pay a £25 statutory charge plus our administrative and kennelling costs before your dog is released. You will also have to pay for any vets’ treatment if your dog was ill or injured when it was seized.

If a stray dog is unclaimed after seven days it becomes the property of Huntingdonshire District Council. We will work with Wood Green, the Animals' Charity to assess any unclaimed dogs and, where possible, suitably rehome them.